Steering gear



Aug. 1'9, 1930. w. R. BREWER STEERING GEAR Filed July 15, 1927 Patented Aug. 19, 1930 nare sr'rEs Y WILLIAM E. BREWER, or DULU'rH, MINNESOTA srEEmNG GEAR Application filed Juiyis,

- My invention relates toa steering gear for motor vehicles adapted to balance the appplied force from the steering wheel shaft of a motor vehicle so that the applied force is di-V a' rected to either side of the gearing adapted to operate the countershaft carrying the operating arm which isconnected with the rod extending to the steering wheels and the connecting'member of the steering wheels ofa 1c motor vehicle." i f f Y A feature of the invention resides in balancing the applied power by means of dia'- metrically oppositely disposed driving pinions which' are adapted to be operated vby gears directly connected with the operating gears carried by thefsteering Wheel shaft so that when the steering wheel shaft is rotated, power is applied to either sidev of the differential gearingearried onthe countershaft which is adaptedto operate the lever which-oonnects .with the steering wheels of a vehicle.4

It is also* a feature Y of the inventionv to e provide va compact steering gear means for the `steering shaft 'ofa motor vehiclerfiwherein 555 the differentialgears*carried by the counter shaft are adapted to have the gears out away fromy the working face on therdiametrically opposite sidesso that the pinionrengaging on one side of the differentialY willl engage only one gear, while' the pinion engaging Yon the other side will engage the other gearg thereby permitting the gears carried by the oountershaft to vbespaced closely together and also permitting the use of a mesh driving pinion which isA adapted to mesh with the same yet having a compact nature to thestee'r-l ing gear mechanism.` Y f n These features, together with other obiects and details of the invention will be more'fully `and clearly set forth in the specification and claims. Y y l Y In the, drawingsforming part of this-specilication: fi y Figure 1 is a .sectional side view of my steeringl gear, a portion being cut away. n Figure 2 is a section on'the line 2 7-2 of Figure 1. y Figure 3 is a plan view onthezline toVK in he directionof the arrows in lFigure 1.

, ationof thev gears13.

ferential gears 1927. seriai up. 205,388.

i Figure 4t illustrates one of the pinions rey moved from the c-asingofthe gearing.

Figure illustrates the two driving gears removed from the steering gear and casing, one of which is carried by the steering wheel shaft and the other by the pinion illustrated inFigure 4( i i ligure Gis a face-viewv of one ofthe differential gears showing the teeth on the same eifitending only partially'about the face there! o i L My steering gear A is adapted to provide a compact steeringgear mechanism whieh'is particularly adapted topbe used on the lsteering shaft from the steering wheel of a motor vehicle `and I have illustrated only a portion of this shaft 10 which extends down into the casing B ofthe steering gear A. y

The casingB ofthe steering gear A may be of a comparatively rectangular shape and is adapted to inclose the steering gear mecha Ynismk toconce'al thesame.

ating gears 13 positioned in the easing'B ad;

` The steering shaft 10 extends'thi'ongh vthe top'of the casingB and is adapted to carry `driving-gears 12 which mesh with the opervjacentthe steering wheel shaft 10. The gears. i

12 carried the steering, shaft V10v are ap proximatelyfhalf ,thesi'ze .of the gears 13,

thereby reducing the gear ratio in the oper- Operating pinions 14 having a shaft por#V tion`15 which is adapted to support the gears 1 3 andwhiclrshafts are bearing journals 16 are adapted toprovidethe operating pinion andgear means forthe diff? countershaft`18 in the steering gearAt.r AThe differential gears`17 are adapted to be keyed y in asuitable manner to the oountershaft 18` and are-formed with gearteeth 19`on ap-l proXirnatelyj the semi-circumference ofstheV working face thereof.v This permits the gears 17'to be placed closely together with the ff workingA faces' disposed toward eachV .otherV and thereby rpermitting 'the operating pinions to beV positioned between the workingj'faces;

kThe operating pinions engage 'the gears l17 1 diametrieallv opposite so that one pinion'll engages; with one gearl; while the other mounted in the ball` f 17 which are megabyte y' tial `of my invention:

pinion 14- engages with the other gear 17. Thus when the steering wheel shaft 10 is rotated the gears 12 will rotate the gears 13 on either side of the countershaft 18 and the pinions 14 will operate the gear 17 on either side thereof and thereby providing a double or balanced application of power to either side of the countershaft 18. The countershaft 18 is adapted to be supported by the ball-bearing journals 20. Suitable face plates 21 which are held by the bolts 22 are adapted to close the sides of the casing B on either side of the differential gearing 17 and the pinions 1e.

In operating the steering wheel shaft 10 by the steering wheel which is not shown in the drawings, by applying the power on either side of the differential gearing including the pinions 11i vand the gears 17, a double application of power is directed to the diametrically opposite sides of the shaft 18, thereby increasing the power applied to the shaft 18 and balancing the applied power in a manner so as to easily rotatethe shaft 18 to operate the steering lever arm 23 which is connected in the ordinary well known inanner by the free end 24 thereby to the steering wheels of an automobile or motor vehicle to m-ove the wheels in steering.

My steering gear A thus provides a very simple ineXpensive structure having a balanced applied power to the counter-shaft 18 which permits the same to be very easily operated in a manner so as to provide a steering gear which may be operated by the finger tips, so as to speak, to steer they wheels of a motor vehicle in a very easy manner.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described the principles of operation of my steering gear and while I have illustrated a particular construction and arrangement of the parts, I desire to have it understood that the same is only suggestive of a means of carrying out my invention and that variations may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit .I claim: Y `1. A steering gear including, a steering shaft, gears connected to said shaft, complementalgears operated by said gears, a pair of operating pinions operated vby said complemental gears, a countershaft, and differengears carried by said countershaft having segmental gear surfaces whereby said pinions are adapted to engage said differenf,

tial gears to operate said countershaft.

2. A steering gear yfor a motor vehicle in` cluding, a countershaft, a pair of gears carried by said countershaft having segmental working faces `which extend .toward each other, pinions adapted to engage said working faces, and gear means-adapted to connect said pinions with a steering shaft.

. 3. A steering gear including a countershaft adapted to operate a steering lever arm for a ions to operate said steering arm on Aoperation of the steering motor vehicle, a pair of segmental gears mounted on said countershaft with their working faces extending toward each other and positioned diametrically opposite, operating pinions engageably positioned with said segmental gears, a steering shaft extending into said steering gear and having gear,` connections with said pinions whereby said steering shaft is adapted to operate said pineither side of the supporting shaft to balance and increase the applied power.

4. A steering gear for a motor vehicle including, a housing, a steering arm, shaft adapted to extend into said housing, beveled segmental gears mounted on said shaft adjacent each other, pinions interposed between said shafts adapted to engage said gears diametrically opposite, and gear means connecting said pinions with the steering post in a manner to cause the steering post to operate the steering shaft bya balanced increased power to facilitate easy steering.

A steering gear including, a housing, a steering` shaft adapted t-o extend into said housing, spaced apart Ygears fixed to said steering shaft, complemental gears meshing with said gears fixed to said shaft, pinions operated by said complemental gears, a steering countershaft and a pair of segmental gears in mesh with said pinions mounted in close proximity to each other on said steering countershaft adapted to facilitate easy mechanism of a motor vehicle through said steering gear.

' 6. A steering gear including, a steering post, a housing adapted to receive said post.I a countershaft extending at right anglesY to said post `adapted to operate the steering lever of the steering mechanism, adjacent O5 segmental gears carried by said countershaft, pinions adapted to engage said segmental gears, and gear means connecting said pinions with said steering post in a manner to permit said steering post to operate said countershaft. A

7. A steering gear for a motor vehicle including, a steering post, a countershaft, a casing adapted to receive said steering post and countershaft, segmental gears carried by il said countershaft, pinionsv adapted to operate said segmental gears, and gears connecting said steering` post with said pinions.

VILLIAh/I, R. BREWER,

UJI

vo: JLA. 

